Customer Service and The Business Environment

Over this past weekend I had the delicious experience of eating at a most delightful restaurant in south Singapore. For those who didn't know, Singapore sits at the southern tip of Malaysia. It is a beautiful and modern tropical city state. Foremost of you Singapore is probably on the other side of the world, but in business terms it is no different than the restaurant next door or down the street from where you work or live. Perhaps you own a restaurant in which case it is very much the same. Regardless, customer service and creating the Total Customer Experience" is much the same in theory for every business regardless of the country.

The ambience was great, a definite plus in offering a great customer experience. It radiated an open party and festive mood and it delivered. In any business it is important to make your customers feel like they belong, this also includes employees. If your store or office etc is always dirty and clutered with files boxes and old furniture many clients or perspective clients will go elsewhere where they wil feel more comfortable. It is this feeling of comfortable, relaxed, belonging or whatever you want to call it that provides the first fulfillment of the customer experience. This is also a very big first step in the delivery of customer service. The condition of the side walk, parking lot and other outer facilities are also a big part of this first offering of customer service and the development of "The Total Customer experience".

In the case of the restaurant, the environment was perfect. The environment of any business is always key in the customer’s internalization of its products and/or service fulfillment. In the case of a restaurant, the food and those who serve the customer, including the kitchen and other support staff, are big part of this. They all serve either an indirect or direct role in creating the business environment in which the sales or acquisition process is fulfilled.

This could be applied to any product or business. From a hair salon to an auto body shop, from a small book store to a large department store what a customer visually sees in the visual apperance, smells and sounds the expectations of experience fulfillment. The will see the fulfillment or lack of fulfillment in this perceived quality, service and sensory delivery. Some would call this fulfilling the brand promise, but I believe that it goes beyond this and is embodied in the fulfillment of the “Total Customer Experience. From a small architect’s office to an accountancy or law firm this principal is worth taking notice of.

In my next blog I’ll discuss other aspects of my night out experience. There are many aspects of how customer service helps to fulfill not only the brand promise, but more importantly the promise of the “Total Customer Experience”

We invite your comments on any of our postings. They add depth and perspective. If you want to find out more on the "Total Customer Experience" please check out
The Customer Development Center